“Ice Ca-Cabes”
Original Airdate: January 2, 2017
The job for the team of geniuses this week should have been an easy one — checking on some machinery in the desert for the government. For Cabe, it was even an easier job of keeping an eye on them, which meant sitting in the sun and drinking iced coffee. But a small mishap sent a piece of copper shrapnel right into Cabe’s abdomen, cutting a major artery. And the closest medical chopper was ninety minutes away.
That meant one thing: emergency surgery in the middle of the desert with no medical equipment whatsoever. And of course, because this is Scorpion’s team of dysfunctional geniuses, they make it even impossibly harder than it needs to be. In order to rescue their Homeland liaison, the team needs to essentially kill him first (in order to stop the blood flow from his heart), glue the punctured artery, and then bring him back to life in time for the chopper’s arrival.
Using material they had with them in Happy’s truck and whatever natural resources they could gather in the desert, the team manage to save Cabe’s life. But it wasn’t until the last minute, of course, making the whole ordeal physically and emotionally taxing on all.
As for Cabe — besides spending most of the day lying in a frozen tub with Toby’s hand in his abdominal cavity — he had started the day in an especially colorful shirt and an awkward moment with Allie, the woman he has been pining for, and who in turn likes him (except he cannot take a hint). Once again, Allie had showed up at the garage, flirted adorably with Cabe, and hinted that she wanted him to ask her out. And yet, Cabe stood there, clueless — much to the dismay of Toby and Happy. Also, another big development in his life was that his apartment had officially become livable again, meaning he would be moving out of Happy’s apartment, putting an end to their roommate situation, which surprisingly looked harder on the closed-up mechanical genius than on Cabe himself.
And speaking of Happy, the team’s other emotionally unavailable genius had started off not-too-keen on having Cabe as her roommate, but has grown very close to him — even if she doesn’t always admit it. In her own way, though, she had hinted at it. And throughout the episode — with Cabe’s fate hanging in the balance — she was, I think, the one who was most visibly shaken by it. At the beginning of the episode, Cabe had given her a pin that had belonged to his mother and said it was for her to wear on her wedding, cementing the newfound bond between the two.
The events of the day were very hard on everyone. This was not just another case, or another victim they needed to rescue. It was one of their own. It was Cabe. And as everyone struggled to keep it together, their feelings were exposed, proving that the Homeland agent had become more than just that to each and every one of them. He was a friend, a mentor, and a father figure to almost every single team member, supporting them every step of the way.
And for Paige, the day was especially harder than any other. While Cabe, the only other member she can relate to as a non-genius, battled to stay alive, she had already started the day in a place of hurt and betrayal. Having said good bye to Tim at the airport, Paige came back to the garage to find a Walter who had tried to convince himself that everything would be okay, that everything would be back to normal. Confronting him then — calling him out on his actions that led to Tim’s departure — was only the first of many confrontations between them in which Paige voiced her disappointment in him and how tired she was of trying to help him move forward when he insisted on self-sabotaging that development every time. Paige is in a place we have never seen her before. She is angry, hurt, heartbroken and betrayed and, from where she stands right now, it is all the fault of one person.
Walter.
After a first half of the season in which he had had very steady and healthy growth, Walter regressed severely in the last episode. And that did not happen without some heavy consequences — on the team, on Paige and, most importantly, on him. But I think what is very important is that he knows this. And that, in itself, is a sign of growth. In his final confrontation with Paige he admitted to it. He knows this about himself now, he realizes his mistakes and realizes when he makes them. And even though he doesn’t know how to stop them yet, admitting it is the first step. But the road is still very, very long for him.
Consequently, the road for Walter and Paige as a couple is even longer. Even without Walter’s hampered growth, Paige still blames him for what happened with Tim and for his behavior. The road to Waige looks very angsty at the moment. It may have been just hard and full of obstacles before, but now it is full of angst, hurt, and betrayal.
Finally, Walter’s truly shining moment came with Cabe this week. After a not-so-stellar moment, when the team was getting ready to “kill” Cabe and everyone said something in support of him, Walter said “it’s been a pleasure working with you.” Of course, Paige would later call him out on it. But when the time came — as Cabe was pulled into the chopper — the EMT stopped Walter from joining him, saying only family could. To this, Walter replied, without hesitation, “he is my father.” And finally, as a recovering Cabe lay in the hospital bed with Walter by his side, Walter opened up, telling Cabe that he loved him.
The journey is still a long one for Walter and his relationships with not just Paige but everyone else on the team. He still has a lot to learn, and a lot more mistakes to make, but I choose to believe he is on the right track and as hard and painful as it may seem, I have faith in him.
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